"Scotland has not previously been afraid to take the initiative to tackle health related issues when other interventions have failed.

ALAMY

A group of MSPs have backed the move to tackle obesity

"If we don't act now, we will be condemning future generations to a lifetime of poor health which is often driven by poverty leading to poor dietary choices."

Figures show that two-thirds of adults in Scotland are overweight or obese, and more than a quarter of children are at risk of following in their footsteps.

The statistics are expected to continue to rise and the wave of obesity is estimated to cost nearly £5 billion a year.

But the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), which represents high street chains, supermarkets, and independent stores, said firms had already taken "significant action" to offer healthy options.

Director David Lonsdale said: "Grocery retailers have invested heavily in the display of products and clear labelling to give Scots the very best information when making choices over what to buy.

"We are far from persuaded that the focus of public policy should be on pushing up prices for customers, particularly at a time where household budgets are under pressure due to rising inflation and with higher council tax and increases in statutory employee pension contributions in the pipeline."

Viewers slam mother who blames child's obesity on lack of Government funding
Thu, August 18, 2016

Viewers slam mother who blames child's obesity on lack of Government funding

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xperts previously told MSPs "unpopular" decisions such as banning cars from town centres or increasing parking charges could force Scots to be more active.

In his letter Mr Findlay said: "We support a bold approach to the new obesity strategy and would encourage you to include options that may initially be unpopular as this could result in an important step towards balancing out health inequalities in Scotland."

Scottish Tory public health spokesman Miles Briggs said it was clear "we must act now" on the obesity crisis.

He added: "There are a variety of measures that could be considered, including potentially some forms of government intervention. "However, the Scottish Conservatives have long emphasised that what we really need is to encourage an active lifestyle amongst the whole population."

Ms Campbell repeated previous calls on the UK Government to ban junk-food advertising before the 9pm watershed and confirmed the SNP was considering what further action it could take, including on the use of multi-buy promotions. "

GETTY

Holyrood's health committee has called for a radical clamp down on unhealthy food

She added: "We have announced our intention to set out and consult on the development of our new diet and obesity strategy this year, building on our wide range of activity to make it easier for people – including children and their families – to be more active,

eat less, and eat better.

"The Scottish Government is already investing £12 million over five years to this year on a range of programmes to tackle the nation's poor diet..

"We are also engaging with the food and drink industry on action to offer healthier choices, rebalance promotions, and reformulate products, with a focus on reducing calories, salt, fats and added sugar.